Hong Kong protests backstory

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related item: Do you hear the People Sing?



headsup Instapundit.

but just remember: there are a quarter million Filipinos there who could be held hostage by the Chinese gov't (e.g. by arresting them on false charges and shipping them to Chinese jails)... this would enable them to stop any plan to take back the Islands in the West Philippine sea that China is illegally occupying.

and of course, the Chinese are warning Asian celebrities (not just those from mainland China) to back the party against the people of Hong Kong, or else. This is from a Korean TV station:



and a Chinese millionaire who has been posting whistleblowing videos on Youtube is a target of Chinese leadership, even though his reports are streghteninig Xi's anti corruption campaign.



The Chinese gov't is sending Interpol against him and interfered with a VOA interview with him... WTF?

Here is the longer report from VICE:

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The billionaire Chinese property tycoon has been waging a media war against his homeland’s government. Guo says he’s trying to stamp out corruption and graft, but China accuses him of the very same thing.Since January, Guo has taken to YouTube and Twitter making corruption allegations against top Chinese officials. Some of them have been disproven, some can’t be proven, but some have turned out to be accurate. Guo cites the retirement of China’s anti-corruption czar, Wang Qishan, as his most recent victory.

Guo alleged Wang and his family made millions in mysterious business dealings. Wang did not respond to the allegations and was never investigated nor charged

.China issued an arrest warrant for Guo but does not have an extradition treaty with the U.S., which has shown no interest in detaining him. Guo, for his part, is hoping the U.S. will grant him asylum and says he can be of use to the Trump Administration. The White House hasn’t commented on Guo’s case but his position as a dissident who may have access to insider information may make him a useful bargaining chip.

why is Hong Kong so important?

this PhilInquirer article explains:

What’s certain is that this revolt over allowing corrupted Chinese courts to rule on Hong Kong offenses destroys the independence and impartiality of the highly regarded Hong Kong justice system. It puts into question the independence and impartiality of what made Hong Kong a financial center in Asia.

If China now steps in with force, Hong Kong as an international financial hub will be finished. The world’s financial system is not going to put its life in the hands of the Chinese government. 

and then there is this: 


so if China steps back, the financial world will be happy, but it will also send a signal to the nearby countries that China has been pushing around that they are not invincible and their aggression can be opposed:,,,,,